monogram
Americannoun
-
a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.
-
a single emblematic or decorative letter; applied initial.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monogram
1600–10; < Late Latin monogramma, irregular < Late Greek monógrammon. See mono-, -gram 1
Explanation
If you've ever had a set of stationery with your initials printed on it, you know what a monogram is — it's those three letters at the top. When you buy a towel, a blanket, or a sweater you can often pay a little extra for a monogram, to get the initials of your first, middle, and last names embroidered on them. Writing paper, wedding invitations, envelopes, and other paper goods are commonly printed with a monogram — or monogrammed. Fancy silverware can also be imprinted with a monogram, as can gold and silver jewelry. The root is Greek, monogrammon, which means "intertwined letters."
Vocabulary lists containing monogram
Write On!: Graph and Gram
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Last Olympian
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
gram (letter)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dürer was only partly successful: It was decided that Raimondi could continue copying Dürer’s work, but he was prohibited from also copying the artist’s distinctive monogram.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Chinese media reported last week that a court in the eastern Jiangsu province ruled that the Shenzhen-based tea company had copied Louis Vuitton's iconic four-petal flower monogram trademark.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The more intricate “LV” monogram pattern, with quatrefoil and flowers, appeared in 1896 as Georges’s tribute to his late father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
"And I lived that as an early teen. I was desperate for the monogram Gucci washbag."
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
The gleam of light from the shutter still shone white and clear on the golden coverlet of the bed, picking out clearly and distinctly the tall sloping R of the monogram.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Another, from Ripon Cathedral, is the sole portrait without a monogrammed necklace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Presiding over the festivities was Frank Seddio, the club’s 79-year-old chairman, who was wearing suspenders and a monogrammed dress shirt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
Rivera, the cook, received a white monogrammed Michelin chef’s jacket, which hangs in his closet because it’s too warm for his broiling workplace, and he doesn’t want to get it dirty working the greasy grill.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2024
There were scripts, telegrams, contracts, prop guns, movie posters, postcards from the Navy to his beloved Cleo, and monogrammed lighters and matchbooks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
After a while I noticed other niceties of his dress, the monogrammed cufflinks, the Italian loafers.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
By monogramming something, the first thing you think about is you.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
“If a single additional customer gets an imperfect luggage tag I am personally overtaking oversight of the monogramming program,” Korey wrote on Slack, her exasperation boiling over.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
The company has eight retail locations in cities across the US, a store in London, and a new monogramming outpost in Brooklyn.
From The Verge ● Dec. 17, 2019
Add gold embossed monogramming for an extra special touch.
From Fox News ● Nov. 28, 2018
Pottery Barn Kids’ collection includes bags with houndstooth, linen and herringbone patterns, leather trim and a monogramming option.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2018
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
